North East Baha'is Celebrate Holiest Period - Ridvan - April 21 to May 2

Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Gurnee, Round Lake, Gracelake and Glenview IL -- From April 21 to May 2, the North East Baha'i communities celebrate the Festival of Ridvan ("paradise"), the holiest period of the Baha'i calendar, commemorating the Baha'i Founder's 1863 declaration as God's messenger for today. Baha'i communities across the United States will hold gatherings for fellowship and devotions, as well as annual elections for the faith's leadership at the national and local levels. There are similar gatherings to elect Baha'i Local Spiritual Assemblies in more than 1,000 American towns and cities. 170 delegates from around the country, will represent the local Baha`i electoral unit, to elect the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, at the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Ill., from April 28 to May 1, 2014. Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, announced in 1863 that He was God's Messenger for today and the Promised One of all earlier religions. Baha'u'llah declared His mission to a small group of followers on an island on the Tigris river in Baghdad where He pitched His tent for 12 days. The first (April 21), ninth (April 29) and twelfth (May 2) days of Ridvan are considered holy days on which Baha'is suspend work. After His declaration, Baha'u'llah was sentenced to perpetual confinement in the prison-city of Akka (now in Israel) where He passed away in 1892.

Baha'u'llah taught that in an age of universal education, there's no longer a need for clergy. Instead, he provided an administrative framework of elected, nine-member councils at the local, national and international levels. All Baha'i elections occur by secret ballot and plurality vote, without candidacies, nominations or campaigning. There are more than 180 National Spiritual Assemblies and 11,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies around the world. Baha'is 21 years of age or older are eligible to vote and be elected to serve on spiritual assemblies. The Baha'i Faith is the youngest of the world's independent monotheistic religions and one of the fastest-growing with about 170,000 members throughout the United States. Baha'is view the world's major religions as part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity. Major Baha'i tenets include the oneness of humanity, equality of men and women, eradication of prejudice, harmony of science and religion, universal education and world peace. To learn more about the Baha'i Faith in America, check www.bahai.us.###